Sunday, September 13, 2009

How's marigolds doing after trimming.

marigolds at walkway bed

When we decided to cut a foot off the central stem of marigolds at Walkway Bed, we were not really sure what will the outcome be. The focus was on making marigolds less leggy, at 3 feet our marigolds are too skinny.. We were quite confident with marigolds ability to continue growing, judging by the presence of healthy looking side shoots at the nodes... A few days after the pruning, marigolds is filling up empty spaces, becoming more rounded, and bushy. Kakdah loves the new look very much.... quite showy she said. But I am worried about the dense foliage which could be a real haven for pests/insects to hide and call the place home!.. urgh.

Now your plants look very lush! Years ago I had some growing along a path and they were lovely little rounded, lush bushes (but not nearly as tall as yours). They never bloomed, because I had started them from seeds I collected from plants I purchased and set out in my garden the year before. Apparently, the plants that produced the seeds were hybrid plants. When I planted the seeds they made strong lovely plants, but no blooms... they were "mule" plants.

I really am jealous, this is my most favorite flower in the world, and I'm terrible at growing them. They always look horrid and die. Lucky my council plants loads of them at the park near me so I can see them when I visit or drive past.

STEPH... So sorry to have you hooked onto marigolds. Marigold seeds are available in supermarkets and nurseries, you can find color of your liking.

RACQUEL, BARBEE, BARRY .. So far so good with pruning that make them really bushy, and hopefully they are not mules as Barbee mentioned.

RAINNIE, OCEAN GIRL.... There bound to be fun, with things we do.. Especially things we enjoy most. Worries and uncertainties are just spices to heat up the adventure...

JGH, JANET, RUSTY IN MIAMI ... Thanks, they are growing well, with such a dense foliage. That's what we are going to enjoy for now. I think they are tall because they were planted too close and therefore had to shoot up higher gasping for air and sun.

CATHERINE, EWA, JO, VUEJARDIN.... they are skinny and leggy before pruning. Once the central stems were cut off, the side shoots are called for action, thus the bushy look. Small grasshoppers seem to enjoy the bush and start treating them like home. But they leave the leaves alone.